What the Sharks' latest acquisition isn't going to tell his new teammates

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Eric Fehr holds fond memories of his last two games at SAP Center in San Jose. He isn’t planning to share them with his new teammates.

Fehr, who joined the Sharks in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2020 seventh-round draft pick Tuesday, is quite familiar with his new squad. He scored a key goal against the Sharks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-1 lead with 2:02 left in the third period. The next time he made the trip to Silicon Valley, Fehr lived the moment that every hockey-playing kid dreams about, hoisting the Stanley Cup above his head.

“I don’t think I’ll be bringing too many of those (memories) up,” Fehr joked after he skated at the Sharks optional practice in Nashville Wednesday. “We’ll keep those hush-hush.”

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It shouldn’t be a problem.

After spending four months in the minor leagues, the 32-year-old forward isn’t wasting his time living in the past. Instead of rehashing old memories, he’ll be focused on a new path when the Sharks (33-19-8) take on the Nashville Predators (36-14-9) Thursday with the aim of revitalizing his NHL career and winning another Stanley Cup in San Jose.

“I was hoping to get another opportunity,” Fehr said. “I would love to make a deep playoff run — that’s why I play hockey. I want to win the Stanley Cup. This team is loaded up and ready to go, so this is a really exciting time for me.”

But Fehr’s 12-year NHL career appeared to be circling the drain back in November after he cleared waivers and got loaned to the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL affiliate. With Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak on the roster, and several talented prospects down in the minors with the first-place Toronto Marlies (38-14-1), the Maple Leafs weren’t interested in wasting ice time on a bottom-line veteran.

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But Fehr, who’s also played for the Washington Capitals and the Winnipeg Jets, refused to be discouraged by the turn of events even when a few days in the minors turned into weeks and months.

“I never doubted the fact that I could get back. Call that stupid or not, but I never gave up,” Fehr said.

With a strong work ethic and a hard-nosed style a play, Fehr led the Gulls in goals, finding the back of the net 17 times in 34 games while raising eyebrows across the AHL, including those of Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer.

“The scuttlebutt out of San Diego is that they were struggling until they got him and he was the guy who righted the ship down there,” the Sharks minor league coach said.

“A lot of those NHL guys get sent down and just go through the motions. I wouldn’t say that about him — he worked. I only heard good things about him: good guy, good in the room, professional.”

When Sharks general manager Doug Wilson asked for his opinion, Sommer told him that he believed Fehr could still be an effective-role player at the NHL level.

“It’s fair to say that he’s above most of the guys that we’ve played against this year,” Sommer said. “He’s a big body with NHL experience. He’s a guy that any team should love to have for depth.”

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Acquiring center depth became Wilson’s top priority heading toward the NHL’s Feb. 26 trade deadline after the Sharks auditioned Ryan Carpenter, Barclay Goodrow, Joel Ward and Danny O’Regan in the middle of their fourth line and the revolving door continued to spin.

Fehr could potentially check off a lot of boxes in what head coach Pete DeBoer is looking for in a fourth line center. He played a shutdown role during the Penguins run to the Cup in 2016, he kills penalties, and at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, he’ll give the bottom line a heavy presence, which could be a key ingredient if the Sharks reach the playoffs.

The former-first round pick (No. 18, 2003) impressed DeBoer while he was coaching the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference, and during the final in 2016.

“We saw a lot of him in the Stanley Cup Final two years ago. I thought he did a really good job in a fourth line role and a penalty killing role for them. He scored some big goals, too, at key times,” DeBoer said. “I’ve always admired his game.”

“He hasn’t been in the NHL really this year, but the guy can still play,” the Sharks captain said.

With the trade deadline looming, Fehr sensed that he could get another shot at cracking an NHL roster this week. He received the call after practice in San Diego Tuesday and quickly packed his bags for Nashville to kickoff the next stage of his career.

“I was very excited,” Fehr said. “You’re always surprised. I thought there was a possibility that something could happen but you’re never quite ready for it.